Below you will be able to download a resource guide leaders compiled to highlight issues and questions for discernment to guide our church family as we prayerfully discern the Lord's will as we move into the future. Additionally, below the Resource Guide link are videos which are included in the Resource Guide in case you have trouble accessing them from the hyperlinks in the pdf.
NEXT STEPS RESOURCE GUIDE (Full Version - pdf Download - Rev. #4 Uploaded 02/27/2023)
Administrative Council update and Pulse Survey results (January 23, 2023):
On Monday, January 23, the MUMC Administrative Council voted to hold a vote of church membership regarding disaffiliation from the United Methodist Church. The decision to move forward in the discernment process for disaffiliation followed the announcement of the results of the church-wide pulse survey that was administered the week of January 15 – 22.
A total of 665 church members participated in the pulse survey that was used to gauge the opinions of church members regarding whether or not Madison UMC should leave the United Methodist Church denomination through disaffiliation. The polling process involved the dissemination of 1,318 surveys via email, of which 1,020 of those emails were opened.
Members who did not have access to the email link were given the option of a printed survey. The survey result was 81.7% preferring to disaffiliate and 18.3% preferring to remain with the United Methodist Church. The breakdown of the count follows:
Survey Responses To Disaffiliate To Remain UMC
Online 579 473 106
Paper 86 70 16
Total 665 543 81.7% 122 18.3%
The next step of the process is for Administrative Council Chairman Wil Crawford to notify District Superintendent Stephen Cook of the decision to move forward with a church-wide in-person vote of Full Members. The District Superintendent and Conference will work with MUMC leadership to set the date for the vote, which will be held prior to March 31. More information regarding the vote will be shared over the next several weeks as plans evolve.
The Administrative Council made the decision to enter the discernment process on October 16 following an Annual Conference Zoom webinar and an exploration meeting with Annual Conference representatives on October 2. Since that time the church has engaged in discussions and reviewed information regarding the United Methodist Church.
Please continue to pray for the life of the church, the ministries, and missions that live out our mission to build faithful disciples serving Jesus Christ and as we pray that we are living toward our vision to be a Family of believers in harmony with God’s Word that glorifies God.
Resource Guide Videos:
**PLEASE READ the resource guide that is linked above.
Window to Exit (Bishop Scott Jones, retiring bishop of Texas Annual Conference)
The UMC Is Dividing and Is Divided (Rev. Rob Renfroe)
Will the UMC Become More Progressive? (Bishop Scott Jones)
Why It's Time for Traditionalists to Leave (Rev. Rob Renfroe)
Why not wait until the 2024 General Conference has occurred before exiting the denomination? (Bishop Scott Jones)
Denominational Options (Bishop Scott Jones)
ARTICLE RESOURCE
Tom Lambrecht “Considering Methodist Options”
Where Should We Go? (Rev. Rob Renfroe)
Global Methodist Church (Bishop Scott Jones)
Advantages of the GMC (Bishop Scott Jones)
How pastors are appointed in the GMC (Bishop Scott Jones)
RESOURCE (Denominational Comparison Chart): DOWNLOAD HERE
ARTICLE RESOURCES TO SUPPORT REMAINING UMC:
Is The United Methodist Church really...? - Part 1 (ARTICLE LINK)
Is The UMC really...? - Part 2 (ARTICLE LINK)
Is the UMC really…? – Part 3 (ARTICLE LINK)
Is the UMC really…? – Part 4 (ARTICLE LINK)
Is the UMC really…? – Part 5 (ARTICLE LINK)
Is the UMC really…? – Part 6 (ARTICLE LINK)
Is the UMC really…? – Part 7 (ARTICLE LINK)
Is The UMC really...? - Part 8 (ARTICLE LINK)
North Alabama Annual Conference “Why Stay UMC” (ARTICLE LINK)
Additionally, you can view the Annual Conference Zoom webinar from September 25th here:
Rev. Adam Hamilton A Future with Hope for the UMC
Rev. Adam Hamilton Why remain UMC?
Sarah Kreutziger “Report from Jurisdictional Conference”
ARTICLE RESOURCES:
Rev. Maxie Dunnam “Methodist By Choice”
Rev. Maxie Dunnam “Let Me Say That Again”